Bow Wow Isn't 'Lil' Anymore: Rapper Opens Up About His Baby And Being A Dad (VIDEO)

OWN

When Bow Wow (formerly Lil' Bow Wow) appeared on "The Oprah Show" in 2003, the then-16-year-old rap star was living the high life. He bought fancy cars, wore expensive jewelry and even revealed that he had a $6,000-per-month allowance. Fast-forward 10 years. Now age 26, Bow Wow has said goodbye to his once-flashy lifestyle and has also become a father.

In this clip from "Oprah: Where Are They Now?", Bow Wow opens up about how dramatically his life has changed since his days of teenage stardom. For one, he says, he stopped focusing so much on material things. "We called it 'stunting,'" Bow Wow says of parading around his large purchases. "I don't even wear that stuff no more. I'm so laid-back and just chill."

Bow Wow's perspective on material things isn't all that's different about the entertainer. He became a father in 2011, when his former girlfriend, Joie Chavis, gave birth to a little girl, Shai Moss. Bow Wow says he is still adjusting to the idea of being a parent, especially given the fact that he and his daughter, now 2 years old, live on opposite ends of the country. "Shai lives in Los Angeles and I'm in New York full-time," Bow Wow says in the clip. "It's so hard. I Skype with her and I just wish that I could just reach in there and grab her little self. [But] I can't."

Bow Wow's career as a rap artist, TV host and all-around entertainer also makes fatherhood more of a challenge, he says. "I missed [Shai's] first step because I was in Australia on tour," he says. "I missed her first word."

Bow Wow says that since he can't be with his daughter all the time, he understands how precious it is when they can get together. "For the times that I'm with her... I always try my best to take full advantage of it," he says.